Old or incorrect metadata is worse than no metadata, because it distorts the search results (of both internal databases and external search engines) and makes it difficult for people to find the information they are looking for. Therefore, it is important to keep your page's metadata updated.

Follow these criteria to select the Web pages in which metadata should be placed:

• home pages: the entry point to a division and those distinct units perceived to stand alone as an organizational or information entity;
• topics/services in high demand: as based on usage statistics or anticipated public interest;
• online service pages: pages, such as forms, that provide an online service to the public;
• entry points: to specific online services and indexes (e.g. an entry point to databases, repositories, online-journals etc.);
• pages designed for high visibility: e.g. containing information that directly affects the public;
• major formal publications: e.g. annual reports, strategic plans, policy documents, etc.;
• manuals and documents: those that may be used in decision-making affecting the public; and
• media releases.

FAO's metadata creation tool (AgMES/DC Metadata Generator) makes it very easy for you to create or improve AgMES-compliant metadata for Web pages and other document-like resources. It gives you two possibilities:

1. create metadata from scratch; and
2. edit the metadata already residing within a Web page.

Following is a checklist for embedding metadata in HTML meta tags of your Web pages.

1. familiarize yourself with the AgMES/DC Metadata Generator;
2. enter the values for metadata elements, accurately describing the resource;
3. click the submit button for the tool to generate HTML meta tags using your information;
4. open the HTML document and insert the meta tag text at the beginning of your document, directly after the "head" tag;
5. submit your HTML document to your Web server.